Sir, this is a funny war we're fighting," said
an aide to General Dobey, British commander of Malta during World War
I, stationed in Palestine in 1916."The Muslims won't fight on Friday,
the Jews won't fight on Saturday, and the Christians won't fight on Sunday."
With Solomon-like wisdom, Dobey replied, "Well,
if you can find four other world religions that refuse to fight on Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, because of their holy days, you have solved
the problem of world peace."
Masterful saying and a cute thought, but the
reality is that true peacemaking doesn't wait for the right day but begins
today with who we are, what we are and the big job that lies before us.
Making peace is never self-convenient because it normally takes a "chunk
of ourselves" and a lot of heart to make it happen. That's why many never
attain this summit of achievement, and yes, it is a climb.
Most of us are familiar with the children's
book, The Little Engine That Could.
A frail little piece of ironclad determination that against all odds and
reason "huffed and puffed" its way to the summit of success while other
larger engines could only begrudgingly stare in wonderment. Recently, Los
Angeles Times staff writer Ann M. Simmons reported on a small nation
in Africa that is setting a remarkable example to the larger nations around
it.
In her article titled, "In Congo Republic,
Peace Calls for a Farewell to Arms," which appeared in the Los Angeles
Times on August 17, 2000, Simmons describes a nation that is not looking
for external solutions, but is grappling with internal dilemmas that it
alone must come to terms with. Let's look at the Republic of the Congo
and understand how it's endeavoring to slowly and surely climb back from
war.
